After The Stig is snapped up by Five: His best Top Gear moments

Ben Collins, better known to millions as The Stig,
will join Channel 5’s Fifth Gear after been sacked by Top Gear. So as he waves goodbye to Jeremy Clarkson and co, we take a high-speed spin down memory lane and revisit his best moments on the hit show.

Clarkson and Hammond cunningly pass off the Stig as James May during a Britain v Germany challenge

Driving a Jag off HMS InvincibleBefore White Stig, was Black Stig. He was just as enigmatic – and tame – but his time on Top Gear was short-lived. He lasted just three series from 2002 to 2003, though he went out in spectacular style. In a bid to match the acceleration of a Harrier Jump Jet, Black Stig – portrayed by Perry McCarthy – drove a Jag fitted with nitrous injection along the flight deck of HMS Invincible. The Harrier hits 100mph by the time it reaches the end of the 200m take-off strip, but has the advantage that it can take off afterwards. No such luxury for Stig. He had not only to notch up a tonne, but to come to a halt before flying into the sea. He didn’t make it… RIP Black Stig.

The Stig’s F1 presentWhat do you get a man who’s driven every top sports car on the planet for his birthday? A drive around the Top Gear track in a 1,500bhp F1 Renault, that’s what. Needless to say, Stig smashes the show’s best track time…

Crashing a Koenigsegg CCXThe Stig’s right foot got a tad carried away when he was given custody of the brutally quick Koenigsegg CCX. The Swedish hyper-beast has a top speed of 245mph, and Stig, in a rare lapse, ran it off the track and into a tyre wall.

Tackling London’s public transport systemThe Stig was tasked with traversing the capital using only public transport, and trying to beat Richard Hammond , who was on a bike, James May in a car and Jeremy Clarkson in a speedboat on the Thames. The Stig came a respectable third.

Saving Cameron Diaz The Stig came to the rescue of an A-lister in distress earlier this year when Cameron Diaz visited the show and broke down during her ‘reasonably priced car’ track challenge. Ms Diaz’s motor– a red Kia Ceed – came to a sudden halt with the gearbox making a horrendous racket and the enigmatic Stig came to the rescue in a fast sports car.

Pretending to be James MayIn a Britain v Germany challenge, desperate times called for desperate measures. The boys faced the presenters of German motoring show D Motor in a series of challenges on the Zolder circuit in Belgium. The Germans were on top until the Stig pretended to be James May in a head-to-head with Tim Schrick featuring an Aston Martin DBRS9 and a Porsche 997 GT3.